Chapter 6

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I DISCOVERED MY BACK-UP!!! ENJOY!!!! (Especially @Cilate!)
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She rushes out of the room with Storm's amused chuckle following her. She runs outside in to the rain and finds that the thunderstorm has sneaked up on them and that all her washing is soaking wet. She grabs everything and just shoves it into the basket that she has grabbed in the kitchen. She finds that one basket is not enough and plonking the basket down in the door of the kitchen she grabs another and goes back outside for the rest. Running back into the kitchen she is surprises to see that the first basket is gone and the next moment Storm walks into the kitchen with two huge towels in his hands.
She realizes that she is soaking wet down to her underwear and the coldness against her body is increased by the heat of her exertions and she starts to shiver. Taking the basket from her and putting it down on the floor Storm wraps her in the one towel in his hand, placing the other close by. She is so surprised that she just freezes when her reaches into the towel and the next moment the board-shorts she is wearing is around her ankles and her blouse has been expertly unbuttoned and lying on the floor. She thinks in the back of her mind that she has never been divested of her clothes so quickly but realizes that during the whole procedure she has never been exposed. Storm rubs her body through the towel.
She flushes as he say: "You should get out of the rest of your clothes as well, you might catch a cold. If you can take a quick hot shower it will be good for you too. I'll take this basket for you to the veranda as well."
And he puts actions to his words. Clare stares at his receding back, at a loss for words. Then she realizes that she is standing clad only in her wet underwear covered by a towel. And that Storm is gentleman enough to not embarrass or harass her. She strips off her underwear quickly and rushes to the shower, finding the wisdom in his words. Whilst in the shower she thinks about what just happened between her and Storm, including the passionate kiss on his lap and she blushes slightly. She hears him enter the room and fall on the bed. Coldness grips her as she realizes that he has probably over exerted himself with the wet washing baskets and is in all probability exhausted. She finishes her ablutions quickly and gets dressed hurriedly. Rushing out of the shower she finds that her fears are right. Storm is lying on the bed, his eyes closed and a look of exhaustion on his face.
She gently touches his face and he smiles wanly, not opening his eyes.
"You idiot." She says softly. "Now get into bed and rest, or I will not wake you up properly again."
His smile broadens a little but he allows her to tuck him in. She is flustered however when he whisper as she turns to walk away.
"No good-bye kiss then?"
She turns around and find that his eyes are closed but he has a small smile in a face showing fatigue. On impulse she bends down and kisses him on the forehead.
"You are way too tired for more."
And she walks away.

Mechanically hanging the soaking wet clothes over the wires attached to the veranda's beams Clare is deep in thought. "OMG!!! What the hell is wrong with you! Are you f-ing nuts!". Repeats through her head over and over. "Why are you acting like a teenager in love!". At that thought she freezes completely. Love...in love...in love...no, it isn't possible...is it?...I don't know!
"Damn!" she cries out as she sees that the shirt she has been hanging up has about twenty pegs on it. Then the humor in the situation strikes her and she chuckles weakly. As she hangs up the last of the washing, the thunder and lightning abating but the steady downpour of the rain shower promising to last awhile, a realization hits her like a sledgehammer: her tracksuits are all wet! She will have to wear pajamas to bed tonight! She has a choice: staid winter pajamas in summer or light short summer pajamas. Oh boy, this is going to be good! Clare decides to let it go and see what to do later.
She walks into the house to go and see if Storm is okay. He is sleeping deeply, fatigue etched on his face, but fortunately when she touches his forehead she finds that his temperature feels okay, it does not seem as if he has contracted a fever again. She smiles down at him and leaves the room to carry on with her chores.

Storm wakes up late the afternoon, feeling more refreshed than he anticipated and he is pleasantly surprised that he has no headache. Then the memory of the kiss jumps into his brain and a broad smile is beamed at the ceiling. What a kiss! Her lips are soft and pliable, and she is not afraid to use them. It drove him crazy, and it took all of his will-power to not let his hands roam her body passionately. The full force of the realization that he is playing with fire hits him as hard as a kick in the crotch. He still doesn't know who he is, whether he has a wife or girlfriend or anything. A vague pull at his mind happens, and from somewhere he hears a familiar sounding voice saying: "It's been seven years, surely you can date again!" and he frowns.
An uncompleted memory of sorrow permeates through him, but before he can grasp it, it disappears like a wraith in the mist. He closes his eyes again and frowns, trying to access the memory but to no avail. It keeps slipping away from him, just beyond his grasp, and frustration makes him groan. He hears Clare's footsteps approaching and quickly composes his face as is if he is sleeping, knowing that it will not fool Clare one bit. He feels her approaching the bed and prepares himself to grab her again as she kisses him, vowing to himself that this time he will control his impulses a little less. But he is hoisted on his own petard as her hands suddenly and swiftly pins his arms but leaning with her full weight on her hands either side of him on top of the duvet, effectively pinning him to the bed. Then a soft but quick kiss brushes his lips and he feel her jump away out of reach, laughing softly.
"I can see you are awake you old faker! And those hands of yours are way too quick for my liking!"
He opens his eyes and Clare is standing about five feet away, her eyes full of devilment. Inwardly he sighs a sigh of relief, it does not seem as if she hates him after the kiss of the morning. He smiles back at her.
"That kiss pales in comparison to this morning Clare," he says with a smile, "Am I on short rations now?"
He smiles even bigger when she flushes a little but he has to laugh at her retort.
"Definitely! You had an overdose this morning!"
Her mouth gapes open momentarily as he hits back with a classic.
"You are aware abstinence is its own punishment?"
"You conceited beast! I'll...I'll...put salt in your coffee! And vitriol!"
He chuckles back at her, seeing that she is not really threatening him but playing along. He suddenly scrunches his face up as if he is about to cry and opens his eyes as wide as he can. He lets his bottom lip tremble.
"Miss Clare," He continues with a mock-teary voice, "May I get out of bed please? I have been a good boy...?"
She drops the act, goes and sit next to him and smiles down at him tenderly.
"You were very tired earlier, and I never thanked you for your help. Thank you, I appreciate it. But I want to scold you a little..."
Storm interrupts her by placing his hand on her lips. The jolt of electricity running through him reminds him of their kiss earlier and he can see her eyes darken, something fleeting intriguingly in the back of her eyes.
"It was worth it. I am not there yet but I will pull my weight."
Taking her hand in his, it is way too disturbing on her lips, she answers him.
"All right, but you really don't have to. Just focus on getting better."
Her face lights up in a smile when she carries on.
"Just lie back and relax some more. I am doing supper quickly. This rain has pushed up the humidity again so tonight it's as many toasted cheese sandwiches as you can eat night."
He squeezes her hand and the thrill that run up and down his spine nearly paralyses him.
"Sounds good to me!"

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